Bee an example for a healthy spiritual life

I am an assassin. I have killed many queens. In each case, I observed these royal females were not meeting their responsibilities, so I took them out. One quick stab with my hive tool and their royal reigns ended.

O, did I mention I was once a beekeeper?

The life of the honeybee is one of survival. Anything that threatens the longevity of the hive is dealt with decisively. My dispatching of the queens simply fulfilled what the worker bees would have eventually done in their own way. When the queen’s actions become a threat, she is replaced with a new queen.

What if we learned from the honeybees’ example? What if we took a hard look at our lives and figuratively annihilated anything that threatens our spiritual health and life? This may seem harsh, especially if we enjoy their negative influences. Like the queen bee, they may even hold royal positions within us, but their impact is a lethal threat to our eternal existence.

The human tendency is to compromise. We attempt to keep our old habits while incorporating new habits, hoping this will compensate for our wayward actions. But this is foolishness. Threats to our eternal existence must be removed, not glossed over.

Honeybees know this. There can only be one ruling influence in the hive. The destructive is dispatched, the constructive is raised up.

How about us? What unhealthy influences are you trying to retain at risk of your life?

Pastor Mark Holmes is an ordained minister in the Wesleyan Church and has served the Darrow Road Wesleyan Church since 1997.

Tags: community, religion